Inishowen Independent Gardening Competition

WIN 2 GREAT GARDENING BOOKS.

As a celebration of the fabulous summer we are having I would like to give everyone a chance to win 2 fabulous gardening books.  The first book by Klaus Laitenberger titled ‘Vegetables for the Polytunnel and Greenhouse’ tells you everything you need to know about growing your own vegetables, care, planting, weed control and more.  The second book written by myself is an 80 page manual all about making your own raised beds with lots of pictures.  Titled ‘Raised Beds for the Organic Garden’ is available as an e-book, so you will need a computer, Kindle or similar.

How to Enter

All you have to do is be creative and write a poem with a garden related theme. The poem can be about your favourite plant, season, environment, composting, digging, tools, vegetables, weeding, fruit, slugs and snails, in fact anything gardening related. 

Here is a poem to get you in the mood, written by landscape architect Jane Garrison. Her own experiences of gardening seem to be a bit on the challenging side to say the least!  Sing it to the ‘Clementine’ tune.

Oh My Garden

Oh my garden. My poor garden

I can see the moles and slugs.

But here's the full meal deal.

It must have disease and bugs.

Black and sticky. Oh how icky

on all my evergreens.

Sooty mould needs a washing

to avoid this nasty scene.

Lightly stippled. Not a good thing.

It's the teeny spider mite.

Nice to have the pretty lacewing

who loves the mite to bite.

Stunted new growth puckers leaves.

Scale, aphids and white flies.

Spray with water, just plain water,

and only good bugs will survive.

Pale foliage, tan and grey

with deformed buds and tips.

Looks like seersucker pucker.

And I've got a bunch of thrips.

Brown splotches on my dogwoods.

show up late in the spring.

A big dose of anthracnose

will make me do some pruning.

Brown and black spots, even scabs

and shot holes on my trees.

It is a Dalmatian sensation.

And it winters in rotting debris.

Tiny bites from sides of leaves.

There are many, many notches.

Root weevils got my rhodies.

Must now do night watches.

They say a blast of plain water

will wash away the goo.

Oh my goodness. What is that stuff?

Rusty pustules give me pains.

Rust is fungus that lives among us,

because here it always rains.

Plants are floppy, really droopy.

What are they trying to prove

Is it too dry, wet or shady.

I guess they will have to move.

Rotten buds and stunted growth now.

I think I am near the end.

The plants have root rot.

My song is over.

I will need to make amends.

Judging

The poems will be read and judged by Gareth Austin from Newtowncunningham who is the resident expert gardener on the Mark Patterson show on radio Foyle.

When you have penned your poem please send it to me at info@gardening.ie  or drop a copy into the Inishowen Independent office.

There will also be a few of my e-books offered to the runners up.  The closing date is Friday 15^th of June so you have 2 weeks to send in your poem..